Sample paper · GCSE Foundation · grades 1–5
GCSE Foundation sample Paper 1 (non-calculator)
The real Paper 1 is 1.5 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks, non-calculator, and all three papers carry equal weight. This sample is 20 original questions in the same content proportions as the Foundation qualification — number 25%, algebra 20%, ratio, proportion and rates of change 25%, geometry and measures 15%, probability 7.5%, statistics 7.5% — with no calculator-only items. AO1 / AO2 / AO3 at this tier: 50% / 25% / 25%.
Non-calculatorGCSE Foundation
GCSE Foundation sample Paper 1 (non-calculator)
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- 1.Amelia has 49 boxes of apples with 21 apples in each box. Work out an estimate for the total number of apples, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
- 2.The formula y = x² + 1 gives y in terms of x. Work out the value of y when x = −2.y = x² + 1
- 3.Two mathematically similar logos are printed on a poster. They have areas 20 cm² and 45 cm². Nadia says that the length scale factor from the smaller logo to the larger logo is 45 ÷ 20 = 2.25. Give a reason why Nadia is incorrect, and work out the correct length scale factor.
- 4.Work out the exact value of (sin 30°)² + (cos 30°)².
- 5.A fair six-sided dice is rolled once. Work out the probability that the score is an odd number. Give your answer as a decimal.
- 6.A shop recorded the number of books it sold on five days: 100, 40, 70, 20, 60. Work out the range of the numbers of books sold.
- 7.Work out 3/7 × 14/9. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 8.Work out the coordinates of the point halfway between (−9, −2) and (−1, −2).
- 9.Triangle ABC is mathematically similar to triangle PQR, with AB corresponding to PQ and BC corresponding to QR. AB = 6 cm, BC = 8 cm and PQ = 12 cm. Work out the length of QR.
- 10.A water tank holds 2.5 m³. Work out this volume in cm³.
- 11.A weather station records whether it rains each day for 40 days: it rains on 9 of the days and does not rain on the rest. A local forecaster claims that the probability of rain on any day is 0.3. Work out the relative frequency of rain from the recorded data.
- 12.A number is multiplied by 4, then 8 is added, giving the result 40. Work out the number.
- 13.Noah says that y = 3 is the solution of the equation y + 10 = 12. Noah is wrong. Work out the correct value of y.
- 14.A parcel of flour has a mass of 750 g. A sack of flour has a mass of 4 kg. Write the mass of the parcel as a fraction of the mass of the sack. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 15.Two sides of a triangle are 20 cm and 8 cm long. Write down which one of these lengths is possible for the third side.
- 16.Work out 100 − 4 × 5²
- 17.Line C passes through (0, 0) and (4, 2). Line D passes through (0, 0) and (2, 2). Write down which of the two lines is the steeper.
- 18.A recipe needs 1.2 kg of flour. Dan has 750 g of flour in his cupboard. Write the mass of flour the recipe needs as a fraction of the mass of flour Dan has. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 19.A student always writes the digits after the decimal point over a denominator of 100, whatever the number of decimal places. Using this wrong rule, they convert 0.9 to a fraction. Work out the correct fraction that 0.9 is equal to, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 20.300 g of a salt solution of concentration 10% is poured into 200 g of a salt solution of concentration 25%. Work out the concentration of salt in the mixture.
How the 20 questions are shared out
- Number — 5 questions (25% of the qualification)
- Algebra — 4 questions (20% of the qualification)
- Ratio, proportion and rates of change — 5 questions (25% of the qualification)
- Geometry and measures — 3 questions (15% of the qualification)
- Probability — 2 questions (7.5% of the qualification)
- Statistics — 1 question (7.5% of the qualification)
Where an area has fewer printable questions than its share, the shortfall is filled from the other areas. These are original questions, not past papers.